Invincible Iron Man #183: Review

Jun 1984

Dennis O'Neil, Luke McDonnell

Story Name:

All the Kinds of Fear!

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #183 Review by T Vernon (April 25, 2016)

Comments: Part one of three parts. The Taurus LMD was created by Scorpio and appeared in DEFENDERS #49-50. Regis Fusskey returns from issue #177, spelling his name consistently this time. Wilbur “Gears” Garvin is the mechanic/ally of Machine Man. Note: the Taurus LMD speaks on the cover but not in the issue.

Review: An action-packed issue is anchored by the battle between Iron Man and an LMD foe and it sets up a Zodiac adventure to occupy the next few issues. The story is a bit lighter in tone to make up for the dark Tony stuff of the last several issues. Which is a good thing as grim and gritty comics wear out their welcome pretty quickly.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #183 Synopsis by T Vernon

A burly brute, his body enhanced by technology and with a Taurus symbol on his chest, crashes into a secret underground lab and begins to destroy the elaborate equipment there. The lab belongs to Cornelius van Lunt, Taurus of Zodiac; the invader passes the technician cowering in the corner and pursues Van Lunt, who has absconded to a secret part of the lab complex....
Miles upstate, James Rhodes is trying to get used to his new alien-enhanced armor (see SECRET WARS) with the aid of Morley Erwin but all he gains is frustration. He abandons the gauntlets but when Morley suggests consulting Tony Stark, Rhodey snaps at him and flies off. Later he confides in Clytemnestra that these recurring headaches are affecting his moods. The phone rings; it is former client Regis Fusskey calling with a job offer: he wants Iron Man to eject a difficult tenant from a property he owns, without damaging the building. Rhodey demands twenty thousand dollars, the exact sum their fledgling company needs. He stops by the workshop of Wilbur “Gears” Garvin to pick up a new set of gauntlets, these lacking the usual weaponry.
Iron Man arrives at the downtown property where he spies Maggia hoods entering a manhole; they have bribed Van Lunt's lab assistant to allow their LMD Taurus into the lab complex to kill Van Lunt. Shellhead makes short work of the goons and makes the lab assistant tell him what's going on: Van Lunt was planning to move in on Maggia territory so they rented the LMD Taurus from the rival Zodiac to kill him. Now, Van Lunt is discovering that his electroblaster will not harm the LMD killer staking him. Iron Man carries Van Lunt to safety before tacking the monster but it proves too tough for him without his repulsors. Attack after attack fails to slow the LMD down. Finally, he allows his foe to wrap him in a bear hug; Iron Man then lets loose with his uni-beam and it blows the robots circuitry out. Unbeknownst to the hero, Tony Stark has witnessed this and he departs quietly....
Even with Fusskey deducting the cost of damages, the check yields enough to get the company on the road—so Clytemnestra announces that they are all moving to California....